George Alexander’s first half hat-trick guided Welling United to victory at Slough Town leaving manager Warren Feeney pleased.
After the game, Warren Feeney smiled “First of all, you’re pleased with a clean sheet coming away from home, and to get three points and three goals is a fantastic confidence booster for us.” He said “I think that the performance could have been better but I’ll take that and the three points all day long and now we move on to the next game.”
He continued “We needed to start the game intensely and we certainly did. Three minutes and fifty seconds we scored the first goal but we pressed from the off. George, for me, was fantastic. He touched the ball three times today and he scored three goals and that, for me, is what a striker is. The second goal was a fantastic goal because it was a proper old school striker’s goal where the big man wins the flick on and he anticipates it.”
Although Alexander took the plaudits, the clean sheet was equally important to Feeney. He confirmed “I was pleased. I thought we defended well. It’s a risky score-line because they’re going to have a reaction, they’re going to come at you and we stood big and strong and defended very well.”
On the rare occasion that Slough did create a chance, they found goalkeeper Myles Roberts immovable. “It’s a goalkeeper’s job to keep it out of the net however they do it.” stated Feeney. “He’s a great boy and it’s great to have seventy odd games at his age in this league. He’s a credit to work with.”
Feeney is confident that Welling can build on the result and said “We’ve got the players, it’s just the confidence. We’ve beaten the points tally we managed last season already with seventeen games to go so it’s pleasing to be moving in the right direction and it’s always nice to get three goals.”
James Dunne and Stefan Payne were both absent with suspensions but their replacements did well and should they perform well again on Tuesday night against Braintree Town, Feeney will have some tough decisions to make. He said “These are the headaches you want. I still think we’re a wee bit light. I need all players chomping at the bit to play because of the busy period that we are coming in to.”
Kyrell Lisbie missed out on his first Welling goal when the ball came to him off a Slough defender who slumped to the ground. Feeney was unimpressed that the referee stopped the hame and said “The disappointing thing for me is that you can get a head injury but it’s a bag of air at the end of the day, it’s a football. He didn’t get it in a clash of heads or an elbow. If I jump up for a header, and I head the ball, and I go down, is the referee going to stop the game? No. I feel for Kyrell.”
Aaron Powell has impressed at left back whilst on loan and it’s clear that the move has been beneficial him, the Wings, and the parent club. “The kid’s enjoying it.” said Feeney. “He’s just signed a new three year deal at Peterborough in the last week and they speak very highly of him. You could say that we have helped him do that because he’s gone out and played men’s football. His loan’s up and I’d love to keep him again.”
However, another loanee Dylan Gavin, has returned to Charlton Athletic. “Dylan’s gone back.” Feeney confirmed. “It’s one of those that we’ve been looking at another player as we’ve got to wheel and deal in a position that I think we’re light in.”
Image courtesy of Dave Budden